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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · roll · game · track · bat · branch · bulb · scale

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. roll — a cake
  3. track — to keep track
  4. game — a match
  5. scale — size or range
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bat — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — a song
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com